Threshing-machine straw-carrier.



" INVENTOH v Jiizl'man Baal:

Patented Sept. l0, l90l.

I H. BAAK. THBESHING MACHINE STRAW CARRIER.

(Apyhcatmn filed Jan. 12 1901 A 7TOHNE Y8 ll llll lllllh l-lmm UNITED STATES PATENT warren,

HERMAN BAAK, OF CHARTER OAK, IOW'A.

THRESHING-MACHINE STRAW CARRIER.

FSIPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,516, dated September 10, 1901.

Application filed January 12, 1901- fierial No. 3,006. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I; HERMAN BAAK, of Charter Oak, in the county of Crawford and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Threshing-Machine Straw- Oarriers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is in the nature of an equali'zer for the straw-carrier of threshing-machines. In such machines the reciprocating straw-rack has forwardly-inclined teeth, and on the back movement the straw-rack slides under the straw, while on the forward movement it does all its work of urging the straw forward. The result is that the straw-rack has much more work to do on the forward movement than it does on the backward movement. My invention is designed to reinforce the power of the driving machinery for the straw-rack on the forward movement; and to this end it consists in the special arrangement of a lever and spring and mechanism for connecting them to the vibrating straw-rack, in which the spring is put under tension on the back movement of the strawrack and expends its energy on the forward movement of the straw-rack to force the latter forward while the maximum amount of work is being done, thus equalizingthe strain on the machine and giving an energetic forward feed, also rendering the motion more steady and requiring less power to advance the rack, as will be hereinafter more fully described with reference to the drawing, in which the figure is a side view of the strawrack of a threshing'machine with my equali'zing attachment applied to the same.

In the drawing, A A A represent portions of the stationary threshing-machine frame in which is contained the reciprocating or oscillating straw-rack 0, having forwardly-inclined arms or steps and forwardly-inclined teeth on the upper edges of the same. This rack is mounted at one or both of its ends upon upwardly-projecting crank-arms b, rigidly fiXed to rock-shafts B, journaled in bearings in the frame-timbers A. To these rockshafts is imparted an oscillatory motion in any suitable way, so as to cause the strawrack to advance and retreat alternately, as shown by thefull lines and dotted lines, respectively. The straw is fed upon the rack at the left-hand end from the threshing-cylinder and beater in the usual way.

To the end of the rock-shaft B is rigidly fixed a downwardly-projecting crank-arm 01 which is jointed at its lower end to a horizontal pitman D This pitman at its other end is jointed at d to the lower end of a vertical lever D, that is fulcrumed at (Z to the upright member A of the threshing-machine frame. The upper and shorter end of this lever is jointed at h to a long helical spring D, which is anchored at its opposite end to the upright A of the main frame. The operation of this spring and its attached parts is as follows: Vhen the straw-rackis moved backward and has but little work to do, the crank-arm d is moved forward and is made to pull on the pitman D and deflect leverD, stretching out and putting under tension the spring D. Then on the forward motion of the rack the tension of spring D asserts itself, pulling the lever D in the opposite direction and by a transmitted pull on pitman D and crank-arm d aids in the forward movement of straw-rack C during the time that it has its greatest work to do. In this way on the backward movement of the straw-rack when there is little work to do the mechanism is made to put the spring D under tension, and on the forward movement of the rack when it is doing its greatest work the tension of the spring in asserting itself reinforces the power required to advance the straw, thus equalizing the power, rendering the action more uniform, and requiring a smaller amount of power and getting a more energetic feed. To regulate the leverage exerted by the spring D, its bolt 71, which connects it with the lever D, is arranged to have an adjustment in a slot 9 in the upper end of the lever, by which the power of the spring may be applied closer to or farther from the fulcrum of the lever. For anchoring the other end of the spring an eyebolt 6 connects with the spring and has a screw-threaded end that passes through an angle-platef, bolted to the upright A, and is retained therein and adjusted as to tension by nuts 9 behind the flange of the angleplate.

My attachment may be applied to the reciprocating or oscillating straw-rack of any kind of thresher, and the spring D, lever D,

pitman D and crank-arm d are preferably arranged on the outside of the casing of the thresher.

I do not claim, broadly, a spring applied to the straw-rack for urging it forward, as I am aware that this is not new.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with the vibrating straw-rack in a thresher; of a horizontal helical spring, a vertical lever attached at its upper end to said spring, a pitman connected to the lower end of said lever, and a rockshaft having a crank-arm attached to the other end of said pitinan and having also upwardly-projecting supporting-arms for sustaining and oscillating the straw-rack substantially as described.

2. The combination with the vibrating straw-rack in a thresher; of a horizontal spring, a vertical lever, and connecting mechanism for connecting it to the straw-rack, whereby the spring is put under strain through the backward movement of the rack 'and is made to expend its force to advance the rack through its advance movement, and a connection between the spring and the lethroughout the backward movement of the rack and is made to expend its force to advance the rack through the advance movement, and means for regulating the tension of the spring substantially as described.

4. The combination with the vibrating straw-rack in a thresher, its rock-shaft and supporting arms; of a horizontal helical spring, a vertical lever connected at its upper end to said spring, a horizontal pitman connected to the lower end of said lever, and a crank-arm rigidly fixed to the rock-shaft and connected to the said pitman substantially as described.

HERMAN BAAK. Witnesses:

J. A. ODoHER'rY, THEo. DRAKE. 

